Calista Flockhart Revealed Fearing That Anorexia Rumors Could Have Ended Her Career
During the ’90s, everybody grew up watching Ally McBeal and its dancing baby. With all its hype, the star had always been Calista Flockhart who played the titular character in the hit TV series.
Recently, Calista candidly addressed the past and ugly anorexia rumors that surfaced while the show aired. Now 59 years old, she recalled how the speculations about her weight and rumors that she had anorexia affected her.
During an interview with The New York Times, she admitted, “I was an easy target, I guess. It was painful; it was complicated. I loved working on Ally McBeal, and it just made it sour.”
She went on, “I was very sleep-deprived, and I was depressed about it. I did think that it was going to ruin my career. I didn’t think anybody would ever hire me again because they would just assume I had anorexia, and that would be the end of that.”
Calista further shared, “I had days where I was really hurt and embarrassed and infuriated. I was lucky that I had to work.”
Despite the ugly whispers, the star said she tried to brush them off and remain optimistic. Though she found it difficult to keep her head down, she reminded herself that she was a good person who wasn’t doing anything wrong.
Comparing her experiences to today’s standards, the Illinois-born celebrity reflected that what she went through could be considered body shaming. She mused aloud, “They call it body-shaming now. I haven’t thought about it in a long time, but it’s really not OK to accuse someone of having a disease that a lot of people struggle with.”
Twenty-two years since the show ended, Calista’s svelte and trim frame remains the same. At 5 feet and 5 inches, the actress reasoned that her weight has always been healthy and proportional to her height.
She explained, “My mom is 4’11” now, and she weighed 93 pounds when she was married. Talk about a little tiny elf. I just have small bones, and I just am lucky.”
It wasn’t the first time that Calista addressed the nasty rumors about her weight. In 1998 when the series was still airing, she mentioned the accusations during an interview with People. The Golden Globe winner defended herself by saying, “I guess I don’t know the exact definition of anorexia. But I eat. I eat normally. I eat whatever I want, whenever I want. I don’t have a messed-up relationship with food… Am I anorexic? I guess my answer would have to be no.”
Calista added that she was keen on having a healthier diet and had cut back on junk food. Due to her long working hours, she needed to work on being more consistent with her workout routine.
Calista played Ally McBeal from 1997 to 2002. It was one of the first legal comedy dramas of its time. The show was a success and earned Emmy and Golden Globe awards.
